Agartala Airport terminal building to be completed by April this year

A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA: Construction work of the new terminal building with all modern facilities at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here is progressing satisfactorily. The project has been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 338 crore.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is expecting to inaugurate the new building and begin passenger service from there by April.

The new terminal building has been designed with an aim to simultaneously handle domestic and international passengers. This second busiest airport of the region after Guwahati is likely to be alleviated as an international airport. A proposal in this regard is under active consideration of the Civil Aviation Ministry.

Apart from the terminal building, many other facilities including extension of runway have been already completed or are near completion. The Apron area with a capacity to accommodate six flights at a time and the taxiway were completed almost a year ago.

A hanger has been constructed at a cost of Rs 30 crore where a 321 model Airbus can be kept at night in case of necessity. The work for construction of the taxiway to the Hanger is progressing rapidly. It is learnt that it will be completed before the inauguration of the terminal building. While there will be a basic strip of 300 meters, 150 meters on each side of the runway will be kept as a security measure. The basic strip full of soft green grass is needed to avoid major loss in case a flight slips out of the runway. The authority is supposed to undertake construction of the boundary wall in the newly extended area and then the old boundary wall will be demolished. The basic strip will be created in the vacant area.

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